Assigfoe of ojste-half to



(No Model.) Y G. S. NIGKUM.

ou, CUP.

Patented Nov; 6, 1883.

. Nrrn STATES l ATENT Erica.

GEORGE S. NIOKUM, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONEHAIJF TO E. FOWLER STODDABD, OF SAME PLACE.

' y OIL-CUP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 288,102, dated November 6, 1883.

Application icd September 3, 1883. (No modehl A 1er My invention relates to that class of oil- 4 oups or lubricators consisting, ordinarily, of a 3o Hi'therto the lubrication of machinery, par` spherical oil-chamber, usually of glass, with a vertical valve-stem for regulating and controlling' the'llour of oil, and designed for application to shaft-bearings, journals, and other parts of machinery requiring lubrication.

The novelty of my invention consists in the combination, with an oil-cup and its valvestem, of an electro-magnet with suitable electric connections whereby any one or a series of these oil-cups in an establishment may be operated at will, and simultaneously, if desired, to lubricate the machinery, as will be herewithset forth and'speciically claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of my improved oil'cup. Fig. 2 is a perspective view, kshowing the application of my invention to a series of parts 'to be lubricated.

ticularly line-shaft journals, has been a source of much annoyance in manufacturing establishments from the fact that each cup required individual inspection and operation by hand, and in the case of line-shaiting necessitated the'climbing up of an attendant to Within dangerous proximity 'of the shafts and pulleys,

which resulted not infrequently in loss of life and limb. Furthermore, to insure constant 4o lubrication bythe old plan of cups the valves had to beleft so far open that great and unnecessary Waste of oil resulted. By the em-` ployment of my invention the superintendent or foreman of the shop at a single, and, if desired, remote place, can, Whenever necessary, or at stated intervals, operate all of the oilcups simultaneously by merely pressing the button of the key; or bythe use of a switchboard he can operate all of the cups of any given piece 'of machinery or any particular line-shaft. vThe advantages of this system are A. represents any suitable oil-cup, in this instance a glass sphere, containing the lubricant, clamped between metal caps B and C, the lattery of which has avertical perforated tube,

D, extending to the bottom of the cup, and

into the lower end of .which the former, B, is screwed, as shown. This lower cap has at its upper end a valve-seat, opening into a perforation, a, extending through the same, which forms the oil-outlet, and its lower end is threaded, to enable the cup to be screwed or tapped into the journal of the shaft, or into such parts of the other machinery as require lubrication.

The valve E has a vertical stem, F, extending through the top of the cup, with an enlarged head or' button, G, preferably of soft iron, at its upper end.

Just over the valve-stem, and attached to the cup in the manner illustrated, or in any suitable way, is an electro-magnet, H, whose corev is presented to the button G of the Valvestem.

I I are the usual binding-screws and connections by which the battery-Wires J are may be grouped into dierent circuits, as the necessities or' conveniences of the case require, with different keys for each circuit; or

by the employment of a switch-board, L, Fig. 2, of the usual or any suitable construction, a single key may be used to operate any one or more of the cups, either singly or in sets, as desired; or in some instances it maybe found desirable to employ clock mechanism in connection with the'circuit-establishing key or button, whereby at any stated intervals dcsired the current would be established to operate the lubricators. Y

When the electric current is sent through the helix, the electrdmagnet attracts the button G of the valve-stem and raises the valve,

2 :esame to permit the flow of oil. `Vhen the current is broken, the valve-stem drops by its A own gravity and closes the valve, thereby cutting y off the iiow of oil. By operating the key inn termittently the valve will rise and. fall, and the oil Will pass from the cup in drops 5 or by holding the key down for a greater or less length of time a continuous flow of oil will result, as will be readily understood.

The above I consider to be the simplest contric connections whereby the Aoperation of the valve to start or stop the flow of oil can be controlled at will. Y

2. The combination, with a series of oil# cups each provided with an electro-magnet forpoperating its valve, of electrical connections Yand an operating button or key, whereby the entire series of oil-cups may be operated simultaneously at will.

3. The combination, with a series oil-cups each provided with an electro-magnet for operating its valve, of electrical connections, a switch, and an operating button or key, Whereby any desired number of oil-cups may be operated simultaneously at will.

GEO. S. NICKUM.

W'itnesses:

En. W. RECTOR,

WM. J. T. WILSON. 

